Motor deficits and recovery in rats with unilateral spinal cord hemisection mimic the Brown-Séquard syndrome

Cervical incomplete spinal cord injuries often lead to severe and persistent impairments of sensorimotor functions and are clinically the most frequent type of spinal cord injury. Understanding the motor impairments and the possible functional recovery of upper and lower extremities is of great importance. Animal models investigating motor dysfunction following cervical spinal cord injury are rare. We analysed the differential spontaneous recovery of fore- and hindlimb locomotion by detailed kinematic analysis in adult rats with unilateral C4/C5 hemisection, a lesion that leads to the Brown-Séquard syndrome in humans. The results showed disproportionately better performance of hindlimb compared with forelimb locomotion; hindlimb locomotion showed substantial recovery, whereas the ipsilesional forelimb remained in a very poor functional state. Such a differential motor recovery pattern is also known to occur in monkeys and in humans after similar spinal cord lesions. On the lesioned side, cortico-, rubro-, vestibulo- and reticulospinal tracts and the important modulatory serotonergic, dopaminergic and noradrenergic fibre systems were interrupted by the lesion. In an attempt to facilitate locomotion, different monoaminergic agonists were injected intrathecally. Injections of specific serotonergic and noradrenergic agonists in the chronic phase after the spinal cord lesion revealed remarkable, although mostly functionally negative, modulations of particular parameters of hindlimb locomotion. In contrast, forelimb locomotion was mostly unresponsive to these agonists. These results, therefore, show fundamental differences between fore- and hindlimb spinal motor circuitries and their functional dependence on remaining descending inputs and exogenous spinal excitation. Understanding these differences may help to develop future therapeutic strategies to improve upper and lower limb function in patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injurie

Perbaikan Sifat Mekanik Dan Laju Transmisi Uap Air Edible Film Dari Pati Ganyong Termodifikasi Dengan Menggunakan Lilin Lebah Dan Surfaktan

Edible film from ganyong starch without and with modification were incorporated by CMC and lecithin as surfactants. Edible film were characterized with respect to water vapor transmission rate and mechanical properties. Incorporation of CMC 2 % and lecithin 1 % as surfactants decreased water vapor transmission rate. Puncture strength decreased but still fulfill Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) 1975 min 50 gf. Elongation of edible film increased and not fulfill JIS 1975 min 70 %

Karakteristik Roti Bebas Gluten Berbahan Dasar Pati Ganyong Termodifikasi

Modified canna starch by Heat Moisture Treatment (HMT) and xanthan gum (GX) showed had potential used in the formulation of gluten-free breads. This study aimed to explore the phyiscals and sensory caharacteristics of gluten-free breads from some types of modified canna starch. The main material was some types of modified canna starch. The study was applied Completely Randomized Design with one treatment factor of starches type (HMT-GX and HMT modified canna starches, natural canna starch with and without 1.5% of xanthan gum addition, corn starch, and wheat flour). While the characteristics of bread determined include: specific volume, color, texture, ratio between height and diameter of bread, and sensory. The results showed that the best treatment based on physical and sensory characteristics was produced using HMT-GX modified canna starch. The characteristics of gluten free bread produced have a specific volume of 2.85 ± 0.017 cm3/g, color (L *, a *, b * 75.13, +9.370; +29.40, respectively), texture of 109.03 ± 7.50 gf, bread high and diameter ratio of 0.74, hedonic score for taste, color, texture and aroma respectively 5.34; 5.46; 5.56, and 5.80 repectively (range of hedonic values from 1 = very dislike to 7 = very like)

Modifikasi Profil Pasta Pati Ganyong dengan Heat Moisture Treatment dan Gum Xanthan untuk Produk Roti

Modifikasi pati ganyong dengan Heat Moisture Treatment (HMT) dan gum xanthan (GX) diharapkan dapat mengubah profil pasta pati ganyong sehingga dapat diaplikasikan sebagai bahan baku atau tambahan dalam pengolahan produk roti. Penelitian ini menggunakan rancangan acak kelompok faktorial dengan 2 perlakukan dan 3 ulangan. Perlakuan yang diberikan adalah suhu HMT (80oC dan 100oC) pada kadar air pati 15%, waktu 8 jam dan konsentrasi GX (0, 0,5; 1; 1,5; 2 %). Data dianalisis dengan sidik ragam (ANOVA) pada α=0.05, dilanjutkan dengan uji BNJ (α=0.05). Parameter yang diamati adalah profil pasta (suhu gelatinisasi, waktu gelatinisasi, viskositas puncak, viskositas akhir, breakdown, dan setback). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa modifikasi pati ganyong dengan kombinasi perlakuan suhu HMT dan konsentrasi GX menghasilkan pati termodifikasi dengan profil pasta yang berbeda nyata antar perlakuan, kecuali perlakuan konsentrasi GX berpengaruh tidak nyata terhadap waktu gelatinisasi dan interaksi suhu HMT dan konsentrasi GX berpengaruh tidak nyata terhadap setback. Perlakuan terbaik sebagai bahan roti adalah suhu HMT 80oC dan konsentrasi GX 1,5%. Profil pasta pada perlakuan terbaik adalah suhu gelatinisasi 72,25±0,23oC; waktu gelatinisasi 6,16±0,04 menit, viskositas puncak 4556±107,01 cP, viskositas akhir 5141±64,00 cP, breakdown 2235±27,51 cP, setback 2818±15,52 cP

Karakteristik Fisik dan Kimia Pati Ganyong dan Gadung Termodifikasi Metode Ikatan Silang

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui karakteristik fisik dan kimia pati ganyong dan gadung sebelum dan setelah dimodifikasi dengan menggunakan metode ikatan silang (cross linking). Penelitian ini terdiri atas dua tahap. Tahap pertama adalah karakterisasi pati dari umbi ganyong dan umbi gadung. Tahap kedua pembuatan pati termodifikasi dari pati ganyong dan gadung melalui ikatan silang dengan menggunakan POCl pada konsentrasi 0,04% (v/v);0,08% (vv); dan 0,12% (v/v). Rancangan penelitian tahap pertama menggunakan tabulasi dan tahap kedua rancangan acak lengkap non faktorial dengan lima kali ulangan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kadar pati umbi ganyong sebesar 41,35% dan 38,80% untuk pati umbi gadung. Kadar amilosa pati ganyong 17,59% dan pati gadung 8,92%. Pati ganyong modifikasi mengandung fosfat sebesar 15,74 ppm sedangkan pati gadung 9,54 ppm. Ukuran granula pati ganyong berkisar 20-50 μm dan pati gadung 4,32-4,25 μm. Kadar pati dan amilosa umbi ganyong dan gadung setelah dimodifikasi mengalami penurunan secara signifikan dengan semakin tinggi konsentrasi POCl 3 sedangkan kadar fosfat, derajat substitusi, dan kadar HCN untuk pati gadung mengalami penurunan

PENYELESAIAN PELANGGARAN PEMILIHAN KEPALA DAERAH DAN WAKIL KEPALA DAERAH (PEMILUKADA) OLEH KOMISI PEMILIHAN UMUM DAERAH (KPUD)

Jenis pelanggaran dalam Pemilihan Umum Kepala Daerah menurut Undang-undang ada 3 jenis, namun dari segi materinya, terdapat enam macam, yakni: Pelanggaran pidana pemilu (tindak pidana pemilu); Sengketa dalam tahapan/proses pemilu; Pelanggaran administrasi pemilu; Pelanggaran Kode Etik;  Perselisihan hasil pemilu; dan Sengketa hukum lainnya.  Adapun proses penyelesaian sengketa pelanggaran pilkada oleh KPU antara lain mengikuti mekanisme penyelesaian pelanggaran administrasi pemilihan umum sebagaimana diatur melalui Keputusan KPU, Nomor 25 Tahun 2013, yang antara lain adalah: Pelaporan, Pihak pelapor dan terlapor Pelanggaran Administrasi Pemilu adalah KPU, KPU Provinsi/KIP Aceh, KPU/KIP Kabupaten/Kota, PPK, PPS, PPLN, KPPS/KPPSLN secara berjenjang termasuk sekretariat masing-masing; dan Tahapan Penyelesaian; dengan tahapan: menerima laporan, meneliti laporan; melakukan klarifikasi; melakukan kajian; dan mengambil keputusan. Sedangkan sanksi hukum yang bisa dijatuhkan adalah perintah penyempurnaan prosedur; perintah perbaikan terhadap Keputusan atau hasil dari proses; teguran lisan; peringatan tertulis; diberhentikan/tidak dilibatkan dalam kegiatan tahapan; atau pemberhentian sementara. Terhadap Peserta Pemilu yang terlambat menyampaikan Laporan Saldo Awal Dana Kampanye dan Laporan Penerimaan dan Pengeluaran Dana Kampanye dikenakan sanksi, dengan membuat Berita Acara bagi Peserta Pemilu yang tidak menyerahkan Laporan; dan menerbitkan Keputusan Pemberian Sanksi. Kata kunci: Pelanggaran, Pemilukada,KPU

Minimum toe clearance: probing the neural control of locomotion

Minimum toe clearance (MTC) occurs during a highly dynamic phase of the gait cycle and is associated with the highest risk of unintentional contact with obstacles or the ground. Age, cognitive function, attention and visual feedback affect foot clearance but how these factors interact to influence MTC control is not fully understood. We measured MTC in 121 healthy individuals aged 20-80 under four treadmill walking conditions; normal walking, lower visual field restriction and two Stroop colour/word naming tasks of two difficulty levels. Competition for cognitive and attentional resources from the Stroop task resulted in significantly lower mean MTC in older adults, with the difficult Stroop task associated with a higher frequency of extremely low MTC values and subsequently an increased modelled probability of tripping in this group. While older adults responded to visual restriction by markedly skewing MTC distributions towards higher values, this condition was also associated with frequent, extremely low MTC values. We reveal task-specific, age-dependent patterns of MTC control in healthy adults. Age-related differences are most pronounced during heavy, distracting cognitive load. Analysis of critically-low MTC values during dual-task walking may have utility in the evaluation of locomotor control and fall risk in older adults and patients with motor control deficits

Analyzing a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) in Schizophrenia: A meta-analysis approach

Human arm swing looks and feels highly automated, yet it is increasingly apparent that higher centres, including the cortex, are involved in many aspects of locomotor control. The addition of a cognitive task increases arm swing asymmetry during walking, but the characteristics and mechanism of this asymmetry are unclear. We hypothesized that this effect is lateralized and a Stroop word-colour naming task—primarily involving left hemisphere structures—would reduce right arm swing only. We recorded gait in 83 healthy subjects aged 18–80 walking normally on a treadmill and while performing a congruent and incongruent Stroop task. The primary measure of arm swing asymmetry—an index based on both three-dimensional wrist trajectories in which positive values indicate proportionally smaller movements on the right—increased significantly under dual-task conditions in those aged 40–59 and further still in the over-60s, driven by reduced right arm flexion. Right arm swing attenuation appears to be the norm in humans performing a locomotor-cognitive dual-task, confirming a prominent role of the brain in locomotor behaviour. Women under 60 are surprisingly resistant to this effect, revealing unexpected gender differences atop the hierarchical chain of locomotor control